[.ca] Chronicles: Sweet Dreams: Anth

From Amazon.com:
One of the tragic figures in blues-rock, Roy Buchanan possessed chops that matched those of any of his more acclaimed contemporaries, including Eric Clapton. His recording accomplishments, however, were problematic. Despite forecasts of stardom that corresponded with his 1972 solo debut (the Arkansas- born virtuoso made his debut as a sideman 15 years earlier), Buchanan never found the perfect forum for instrumental expression. After years of frustration, he hung himself in a jail cell in 1986 after being arrested for drunk driving. This 2 CD anthology stands as the definitive overview of Buchanan's career, mixing the best of his '70s and '80s records with a generous assortment of unreleased tracks. --Steve Stolder

Disappointing selection of songs, Polydor heads should roll:
I am a Roy Buchanan fan and think that he's one of the greatest players of modern electric guitar blues. But there's some real junk on these two CDs. As another reviewer has already pointed out, the first four tracks on CD 1 spotlights other instruments or the vocalist but not Buchanan. On one of the cuts, the other instruments jam for 5 minutes before you even hear Buchanan's guitar!! He then plays for 30 seconds and suddenly the song is over!! And, we're all here for the same thing, to hear Buchanan's pyrotechnic guitar--we don't care about a lot of other instrumental jamming. Then, also on CD 1, a better, much longer 1974 version of C. C. Ryder could have been included. On CD 2, the version of Hey Joe is absolutely dreadful. It has a long almost guitar-free introduction, what sounds like a drunken Buchanan at the microphone and mediocre guitar playing. Listen to Buchanan do Hey Joe on American Axe, Live 1974 or even his 1973 studio version and you'll hear what I mean. On another song, there is a repetitious organ solo for over minutes before the guitar comes in and plays for less than 1 minute. Some good stuff on these two CDs but some crap as well; Polydor should fire the incompetent that put this together. Seek out the original CDs and stay away from this over-priced, under-produced insult to a great musician.

The Telecaster Blues Master:
This is a 2 cd anthology which compiles Roy Buchanan's Polgram output with a few tracks from Atlantic thrown in for good measure. The time period represented is from 1969-78. No tracks from his later Alligator output are included. Roy Buchanan was from the excellent technique but weak singing line of white blues/rock/jazz guitar heroes which include Jeff Beck, Harvey Mandel and Mike Bloomfield. Roy Buchanan was a master of many styles from rock to blues to jazz. This compilation concentrates on his earlier output. He gained recognition after being named as one of the best "unknown" guitarists alive in the early seventies. He reportedly was being sought as a replacement in the "Rolling Stones" at one point. However his alcohol problems eventually led to his downfall and eventual suicide. This compilation contains no less than 7 unissued tracks with an additional 2 tracks from an ultra rare live Japanese only release. Roy Buchanan's guitar playing mostly resembles that of Jeff Beck among current guitarists. Beck supposedly was influenced by Roy Buchanan's technically masterful guitar playing. This set contains many live tracks which gave Buchanan more room to develop songs and solos. Among his more famous cuts are "The Messiah Will Come Again", and his version of Neil Young's "Down By The River". Buchanan is a weak singer and the better cuts are either fully or mostly instrumental or feature another vocalist. Most of the music is blues or blues related. However by the time of his later Atlantic material he become more jazz influenced. Some of my favorite cuts include "Tribute To Elmore James", and covers of Cannonball Adderley's "Country Preacher" and Booker T. & the MGs "Green Onions" and "Soul Dressing". Perhaps the most revealing cut is unissued jaw dropping 12 minutes plus Buchanan solo "Dual Soliloquy". Buchanan solos in a vast array of styles and unleashes all his tricks. A fitting coda to a tragic figure. A few cuts I like were missed such as "Roy's Bluz", "Further On Up The Road" and "Filthy Teddy". Most of the musicians who appear are relatively unknown, however Charlie Daniels appears on a few of the earlier cuts while Steve Cropper and "Duck" Dunn from Booker T. & the MGs appear on the cover of their "Green Onions" while jazz guitarist Ray Gomez appears on some of the later Atlantic recordings. I found this to be the best Roy Buchanan anthology available as it omits some of the weaker cuts. I also recommend the single disc "Guitar On Fire" a single disc anthology of the currently out of print Atlantic Recordings and "Deluxe Edition" which compiles his last recordings with a few unissed tracks added.

Producer needed some help:
Five stars, obviously on Roy's playing, which always managed to rise above the material, no matter how mediocre. But this collection mystifies me in the selection of material. The first four selections of disc 1, "previously unreleased," put Roy in a strange, psychedelicized place that is difficult to listen to. Roy was a power, electric blues player, and these pieces simply do him no favor at all. By the fifth cut, we have his great version of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams," from his first Polydor album, and we also have the first taste of his muscular lyricism. The remainder of the first disc is nearly flawless, the highlight for me being the inclusion of the "Second Album"'s "The Messiah Will Come Again." Roy couldn't sing -- at all -- yet somehow he was able to add something when he decided to vocalize, perhaps because he believed in the tune. As for Disc 2, I saw Roy live, and because of that I'm confident in expressing my disappointment in the choices here. Other than "Soul Dressing," none of the tracks are memorable (apologies to vocalist Billy Price, who was capable of some great vocal performances), and Polydor would have produced a much better disc by including more from the overlooked "A Street Called Straight" or from "Loading Zone." My advice? If you buy this set, pay little attention to the first four cuts on each disc. If you decide you love Roy's sound, as may of us did, listen to cuts 5 and on and then seek out the individual albums, which contain many gems the producer failed to include.

D O N O T Miss this guitarist! Superb!:
If you're a guitarist or an afficionado of guitar music, you should have already heard Roy play. If not, this is a great CD to start with. This is a collection of songs from many different periods in his career, and it pretty well covers the gamut of what he did musically. Even so, it'll just whet your appetite for more. Buy this first, and you'll likely be out getting the rest of his releases. Roy was recognized early-on by some of the true greats (Jeff Beck dedicated a song to him on Blow by Blow, he was offered a spot in the Rolling Stones, and he even played with Merle Haggard), but was not popular with the masses. He never achieved the notoriety of many lesser guitarists. I'll say this, and it sums up my opinion of Roy Buchanan... If you've never heard a guitarist play with feeling and raw emotion, this is your chance... And this compilation is a good cross-section of his work. Enjoy!

His best compilation:
There is not much more I can say about this man that has not been said already. It's all true. It's just frustrating that more people have not heard his music. The track "Down by the river" alone is worth buying this 2 disk compilation. You will see what I mean. I have listened to many guitarists, and none of the played with the same emotional intensity as Roy did. Stevie Ray Vaughan came every close. The signature of a great guitarist is what he can convey with just one note. Roy left us with that note and we will never be the same. Buy this CD, you won't regret it.

• Baltimore
• Black Autumn
• Story of Isaac
• There'll Always Be
• Sweet Dreams
• Pete's Blues
• Messiah Will Come Again
• Tribute to Elmore James
• After Hours
• Five String Blues
• C.C. Rider \oLive\c
• My Baby Says She's Gonna Leave Me
• Please Don't Turn Me Away
• Country Preacher
• Wayfaring Pilgrim
• Down by the River \oLive\c
• I'm a Ram \oLive\c
• I'm Evil \oLive\c
• Good God Have Mercy
• If 6 Was 9
• Green Onions
• Soul Dressing \oLive\c
• Hey Joe \oLive\c
• Fly...Night Bird
• Turn to Stone
• Dual Soliloquy